Eulota
Dutch Motor tanker
Name | Eulota | ||
Type: | Motor tanker | ||
Tonnage | 6,236 tons | ||
Completed | 1936 - NV Dok en Werf Mij Wilton-Fijenoord, Schiedam | ||
Owner | NV Petroleum Mij “La Corona”, The Hague | ||
Homeport | The Hague | ||
Date of attack | 11 Mar 1940 | Nationality: Dutch | |
Fate | Sunk by U-28 (Günter Kuhnke) | ||
Position | 48° 35'N, 8° 22'W - Grid BF 1869 | ||
Complement | 42 (0 dead and 42 survivors). | ||
Convoy | |||
Route | Rotterdam (6 Mar) - Curaçao | ||
Cargo | 6000 tons of fresh water ballast | ||
History | Completed in May 1936 | ||
Notes on event | At 03.17 hours on 11 March 1940 the unescorted and neutral Eulota (Master Barend Elzinga) was hit on starboard side amidships by one G7e torpedo from U-28 while steaming on a non-evasive course at 11 knots in clear weather about 130 miles west of Ushant, France. The explosion broke the back of the tanker and opened a large hole just below the waterline, but she only settled slowly aft with an increasing list to starboard. The U-boat did not wait for the ship to sink before departing the area and left the survivors in doubt about the reason for the explosion. The crew of 42 men abandoned ship in three lifeboats after about one hour, remained nearby and reboarded the tanker at dawn in an attempt to right her, but discovered that a fire had broken out amidships and left again at 09.30 hours. A French patrol aircraft sighted the burning Eulota in the afternoon and the nearby HMS Broke (D 83) (Cdr B.G. Scurfield, RN) and HMS Wild Swan (D 62) (LtCdr J.L. Younghusband, RN) from convoy OG-21 were directed to the tanker, which broke in two in the meantime and only the bow section was still afloat when the destroyers arrived. The latter picked up the survivors, five of them slightly and one severely wounded, while HMS Broke scuttled the wreck by gunfire in 48°38N/08°22W. They were then ordered to hunt the U-boat together with Frondeur and La Capricieuse that had been sent from Brest, but U-28 had long departed the area. The survivors were landed at Plymouth on 12 March. | ||
On board | We have details of 2 people who were on board. |
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